Guest Author: Raymond Jakub, Applied Science Director, Rare



Rare's Raymond Jakub and Haris Setiawan connected Campaign Founder Paul Anderson with Rare's Fish Forever staff and fisheries officers of the Southeast Sulawesi district as, together, they embarked on an adventure of airplanes, ferries, and fishing boats to reach the remote and beautiful region of Talaga Raya, a Managed Access with Reserves that Rare has cultivated in cooperation with the region's communities and district fisheries agencies.

Once the boat finally arrived on shore of the fishing village in Talaga Raya, the IndoReefFish Team was warmly greeted by the community with snacks and delicious hot coffee. It was a hot and humid day, but somehow, the coffee hit the spot!
The village has a central hall for functions, where the IndoReefFish Team gathered to meet with fishers, the Head of the village, district fisheries officers, and the sole buyer of aquarium fish for the village.

The fishers described their day-in-the-life: They typically operate individually--one man, one boat, one compressor--from 7am-2pm. Though without additional crew on-board, the fishers usually fish on the same reef, so that their boats anchor side-by-side. Fishers bring with them a basket, scoop net, compressor, snorkel gear, and a battery-powered aerator.

The IndoReefFish team was surprised to learn that the fishers concentrate their fishing effort on just three species:
- Blue hippo tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)
- Common clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
- Majestic angelfish (Pomacanthus navarchus)

This is because the village's remote location means that the fish sold there have higher price tags associated with them down the value-chain due to shipping and transportation costs. So other, lower-value fish that may be locally abundant are not preferred by their buyers, which can be sourced closer to their businesses with less risk of mortality across shorter shipping routes.
One of the goals of IndoReefFish will be to identify alternative fish species that may be both desirable in the market and resilient to fishing pressure; to support the livelihoods of fishers their families and to relieve heavy fishing pressure on the current species targeted.
Upon learning about the IndoReefFish program and its aims to develop sustainable fisheries practices and support the livelihoods of the village's fishers; the community became excited about participating in this effort that will also bring them to the stage of a model program to be showcased throughout the nation and around the world.
Stay tuned for more IndoReefFish adventures in Indonesia!